WSJI FLASH DEBATE: Should the Army Fight Naxalites?

Today, the Cabinet’s security committee meets to discuss whether to use the armed forces to counter the rising threat of Naxalites, the Moaist insurgents who now control a large swath of central India. We asked students who are regular contributors to our WSJIDEBATE features to give us their quick thoughts on the issue. Their comments are below; please let us know what you think through the Comments.

KRITI GUPTA: This question cannot be answered by a simple yes or no. The problem of Naxalism is a complex one. While it is violent on the one hand, it also represents the growing dissent of farmers and tribals against government policies on the other. The army might be required to counter the violence but it is more important to listen to and address the concerns of the Naxals. This would be the most effective way to integrate the people back into society thereby curbing the problem for good.

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A Special Police Officer participates in a training session at the Combat Operating Base in Kanker district, Raipur, India

SHIKHAR SINGH: The Naxal strategy has two components: law enforcement and development. The success of both prongs is largely dependent on the ability of state governments to deliver the essentials: Effective policing; a comprehensive and actionable development strategy; and resurrection of the administrative machinery (including local self-government). In my opinion, no state has even vaguely managed to move forward in these areas and, essentially, that’s the problem. The army “needs” to come in because the state governments are shying away from what is essentially a constitutionally vested responsibility on them. The central government should not attempt to circumvent the problem (by proposing direct involvement of the armed forces) but should incentivize and pressure state governments into action. The armed forces can at best be used to train personnel and chalk out local strategies. No further involvement is required to tackle the Naxal menace.

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RAGHUVIR DASS: To quote an article from outlookindia.com “…the map of Naxalism is the map of Indian minerals…” There is no doubt that tribals and villagers are being displaced by corporate mining enterprises and the profits derived from these activities are not used for the benefit of the displaced parties. Naxalism today is fueled by embittered members of such displaced groups. The problem is that Naxal goals are not to increase the flow of resources to stricken areas or act as contemporary Robin Hoods and steal from the rich. Rather, they want to overthrow the Indian government. They are using methods of extreme violence against not only government agents but innocent civilians, villagers who would rather remain neutral. State law enforcement and non-military force for numerous reasons have failed to contain Naxalism. This is a tightrope. The army should be deployed in order to bring advanced hardware and training into the field (we assume this will be sufficient military force to bring Naxalism to its knees) and at the same time we must have laws in place to ensure more than adequate compensation and development of backward areas. The idea is simple: a carrot and stick approach. Its execution is difficult. To ensure resource sharing from mining profits means the control of mining enterprises. To do this, we need honest politicians and fair laws in place. This is what should happen. What probably will happen is very different. Politicians in these areas lack the backbone to stand up to rich mining companies and will always allow them to function as they do today. The Naxals won’t stop. The government cannot allow them to run rampant and run any risk of being overthrown and will send in the army to wipe them out. The giving of carrots is simply too difficult.

PRAGGAMOY DASGUPTA: Is the use of military power as a force of oppression the only way out of the debacle? Who are we declaring war on? Lastly, to reiterate and reminisce about the past: Has the government of India failed to learn from the seemingly irreparable psychological mess it created in Kashmir and the Northeast? Most of the Naxal cadres are beleaguered revolutionaries comprising tribals and Dalits fighting parochial battles for the sake of survival. With no other option at their discretion, these men and women are denied the basic perquisites of life. Also, the Naxal movement thrives in the center of India, not on the borders and fringes of our country. Thus, if their atrocities are to be checked, a more effective means has to be adopted instead of an “eye for an eye policy” whose repercussions come at the cost of the lives of innocent civilians. The government has to come up with concrete measures to cut to the chase. Provision for education has to be made. Power has to be distributed. Opportunities for the downtrodden castes have to be escalated. The underdeveloped Public Distribution System has to be rectified — for every fire starts in the belly.

RAHUL DASH: Yes, they should. Although it is quite sad that our police force is incapable of fighting brainwashed and uneducated civilians with old guns.

OMAR SALEEM: The involvement of the army carries with it subliminal messages that reflect upon both the state and national governments. For the state, it mirrors a failure in protecting its own people. On the other hand, the central government must act in the interests of the nation as a whole. As a consequence of recent events, it has become necessary to demonstrate the use of brute force to limit the expanding threat. A force needed for preventing Naxalism from becoming a widespread pandemic and leading havoc for all the country. Initially, when only one state was affected by the issue, state protection was feasible. However, with the significant growth of threats to other parts of the country, a national army response has become a necessity.

NEERAJ TRIKHA: Many political commentators have argued against the use of the army in the fight against Naxalism. The arguments given by them are usually centered around:

–The use of Army will set a bad precedent. The army has a specific role to protect India’s external borders and should not be used against our “own people.”

–India’s most successful counter-insurgency operations in Punjab, Tripura and Andhra Pradesh were led by state police forces rather than the army.

–State police in Naxal-infested states should be modernized. Bring in more police and paramilitary forces and give them access to modern resources.

Here’s my take on them:

–The army is already used in J&K and northeastern states and has been effective in bringing the situation to a point where the state police can play a more assertive role. The Maoists are no different than the insurgents operating in North-East or J&K and therefore deserve no special treatment or public sympathy. We need the army to come in and help bring the situation under control.

–Talking of Andhra Pradesh, the anti-Naxalite operation was carried out by highly trained commandos, the Greyhounds. The states of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and others lack such a specialized force. The present day situation in these states is a lot different from Punjab or Tripura. Also, Naxalism is not an intra-state insurgency, it is far more widespread. With the level of security infrastructure as highlighted by recent news reports, I highly doubt that the forces in these states are capable of carrying out a joint operation to end this problem.

–Radical steps like police modernization or recruiting more policemen take time. Moreover, bringing in policemen who are just good enough to work on law and order problems does not help. They need to be trained. While this whole process is underway, we can either watch the Naxals blow up buses and killing paramilitary personnel or we can deploy the military.

The whole process of uprooting Naxalites may take many years. The role of the army should be confined to a shorter duration of time. The army should undertake certain strategic operations and help prevent more Naxalite attacks while the state and paramilitary forces prepare themselves for the final offensive.

ARJUN RAJKHOWA: The government cannot use the army to obliterate any resistance movements that are based on legitimate rights taken away and denied. The handing over of enormous tracts of land, without any means of redressal, to mining corporations is, at least, unjustified if the inhabitants and owners of this land are not compensated. The stories of compensation fraud, of disbanded legal processes and of forcible eviction are shameful. And successfully suppressed. The Salwa Judum and local police forces are known to have burnt down scores of villages in Dantewada, in other parts of the region, and to continuously persecute people on false charges and in false ‘encounters’. The army cannot be forced to add to the atrocities.

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